When the Padres were sold for $800 million, the new ownership group consisted of the family of former Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley, local businessman Ron Fowler, and, among others, hometown hero Phil Mickelson. Except, a weird thing happened. When the deal actually closed, Mickelson's name wasn't on the contracts. It was said that a spot was being held for him, that his busy schedule meant he just hadn't had time to sit down and finalize things, and as recently as October, Mickelson still said he planned to buy in.

"I think to be involved with the Padres you have to be fully committed to the long term," Mickelson said. "I've been born and raised here, but at this moment I'm not able to make that kind of long-term commitment to the city and to the team."